memefactory

The Jetty starts off just fine, then has a bit of a reveal at the end of episode 1. So, okay, you hooked me. Episode 2, strong, interesting and important things to say, very good dialogue, great performances plus some surprises. Episode 3, the same. The first half of episode 4, the last one, the same again. At this point, I'm thinking it's a solid 7 and, if the ending is very good, maybe even an 8.

And then the last half of the episode unfurls. And it is not good. At all. In fact, it's so bad, that instead if a 7, my rating falls two slots to a 5.

What the heck happened? From preposterous plot "twists" that are completely out of alignment with what's come before, not to mention illogical, to weird Hallmark channel moments that feel like they were written by ChatGpt and filmed with no editing done. And characters behaving completely differently than they had been.

My advice: watch up through the halfway point of the final episode and then come up with your own ending. Whatever you imagine will almost certainly be better than what actually got filmed and presented.

This French thriller takes a fairly standard trope and does a fairly decent job with it. The acting is good, the relationships male sense. The writing is sometimes pretty good, especially some of the dialogue, yet ultimately the show has some moments that are just mediocre writing, plotwise. And there is one blatant case of audience manipulation to get us thinking in a certain direction that is just sloppy. And the ending, well, it works but is a bit meh. So, the show is uneven. It could certainly be worth watching if you find yourself hankering for some Eurothriller action, but don't rush out and start watching it immediately. There's better out there, but there's also quite a bit worse.

This is an excellent adaptation of a pretty mediocre book, made by a true fan of horror. Flanigan is one of the best in the field right now. This film feels like a sequel to Kubrick's "The Shining" and yet also feels like it's own thing. Ewan McGregor's Danny is fantastic, so much better than the trashy mess in King's novel. And Rebecca Ferguson turns Rose the Hat into a compelling character instead of the hot mess in the book. Zahn McClarnon turns Crow Daddy into a character that has real screen weight. The effects are minimal and used only when necessary. In fact, the whole film shows am admirable restraint that benefits the material and the mood. And yes, it's long, but just long enough. Just an excellent film.